CRESTVIEW — The Community Redevelopment Agency Board has voted 6-1 to direct city staff to prepare a $118,500 per year contract with a Fort Walton beach ad agency to manage the program.
PART 1: Read the first part of this story here>>
Current CRA Director Brenda Smith, who will serve as the Petermann Agency’s team leader, said the firm's monthly $9,875 retainer, which is more than three times her contracted CRA director’s salary, represents the “hire” of the ad agency’s eight professionals.
“This allows us to come together as a team and make sure that what we're doing with the (CRA) plan, that we're doing it the right way,” she said. Without such an approach, “we can throw money at this project or that project without evaluating the overall need.”
Petermann Senior Account Executive Stephen Smith said the agency’s first step is a thorough analysis of the CRA district and its businesses to put together a redevelopment plan.
“Our goal is to make this downtown area look better, feel better, sound better,” he said. “We want to see the businesses that are here and doing well, do better.
“We'll address the strengths and weaknesses of the area. This area has a lot to offer, but I don't think all the strengths are being taken advantage of.”
ADDED VALUE, ADDED FEES
“The marketing goal is that for every advertising dollar that is spent, real value is added,” Stephen Smith said.
Those dollars for promotional efforts including “collateral”—such as handouts or rack cards—ad buys and television spots are in addition to the agency’s monthly retainer.
“I have a concern with the cost,” Whitten said. “If we want anything to do with advertising or marketing, that’s going to be in addition to the $118,000.”
CRA board member Shannon Hayes supported Petermann’s proposal, saying it will help Crestview stand out from neighboring potential destinations.
“I was in retail for 32 years and I know advertising well,” he said. “We have to look at what happens if Amtrak comes here. If people are going to ask, ‘Crestview, where is it?’ we're in trouble.”
COMPLEMENTING NEIGHBORS
Finding ways to draw visitors to Crestview is among Petermann’s goals, Brenda Smith said.
“A lot of people don’t look at the reality that we’re competing against other cities,” she said. “A lot of cities don’t strategize where they say, ‘How do we complement our neighbors but what are our strengths?’”
Targeting CRA funds to specific, researched and evaluated projects will maximize the board’s investment, she said.
“You don’t want to take our redevelopment dollars and dump them somewhere and say, ‘There, we’re done,’” Smith said. “If we do it right, every dollar that is invested in redevelopment not only benefits downtown, but it radiates throughout the city. That’s smart planning. That’s what we want to happen.”
“We can't go forward without investment,” Hayes said. “You have to invest in experts, and experts don't come free.”
PART 2: Read the second part of this story here>>
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BY THE NUMBERS
Crestview Community Redevelopment Agency Director Brenda Smith provided this data on the CRA’s progress through April 2016:
●Fundraising: CRA, $170,000; Main Street Crestview Association, $141,485
●CRA program funding: Crestview Centennial, $13,600; Main Street contract: $25,000
●CRA fund balance, $1,431,598 (April 2015 balance, $1,385,330)
CRA PROJECTS
●Two $50,000 Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program grants received
●Twin Hills Park dog park plans to be presented June 24
●Working with Okaloosa County to develop former Piggly Wiggly grocery store into downtown parking lot
●Working with Gulf Coast Rail Working Group to return passenger train service to Crestview
●Planning July Main Street investor assessment
Source: Crestview Community Redevelopment Agency
Crestview Community Redevelopment Agency Director Brenda Smith provided this data on the CRA’s progress through April 2016:
●Fundraising: CRA, $170,000; Main Street Crestview Association, $141,485
●CRA program funding: Crestview Centennial, $13,600; Main Street contract: $25,000
●CRA fund balance, $1,431,598 (April 2015 balance, $1,385,330)
Source: Crestview Community Redevelopment Agency
CRA PROJECTS
●Two $50,000 Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program grants received
●Twin Hills Park dog park plans to be presented June 24
●Working with Okaloosa County to develop former Piggly Wiggly grocery store into downtown parking lot
●Working with Gulf Coast Rail Working Group to return passenger train service to Crestview
●Planning July Main Street investor assessment
Source: Crestview Community Redevelopment Agency
BY THE NUMBERS
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Part 2 of 2: Crestview CRA ad agency plans redevelopment focus (VIDEO)